Vertically reciprocating apparatus for carrying film hangers in a developing tank



Sept. 30, 1969 KAN-ICHI NISHIMOTO 3 7 v VERTICALLY RECIPROCATING APPARATUS FOR CARRYING FILM HANGERS IN A DEVELOPING TANK Filed Jan. 3. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR KAN-ICHI NISH IMOTO United States Patent 3,469,517 VERTICALLY RECIPROCATING APPARATUS FOR CAARRYING FILM HANGERS IN A DEVELOPING T NK Kan-ichi Nishimoto, 369 Sekido, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayarna, Japan Filed Jan. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 606,838 Int. Cl. G03d 3/12 US. Cl. 95-94 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A film developing apparatus including a film reciprocating structure adapted to be mounted in conjunction with the upper edges of a film development and treating tank. The reciprocating structure includes opposed pairs of relatively oscillatable and relatively reciprocable serrated edged plates, the action of which resembles that generally of a reciprocable sawtoothed sickle bar mechanism, whereby a film support rod disposed transversely across the tank with the ends resting in the serrated edges of said plates, starting from one end of the tank is sequentially oscillatably lifted and moved from tooth to tooth of said plates during longitudinal movement along said tank.

This invention relates to an apparatus for vertically reciprocating a film hanger in a developing tank, more particularly to the kind in which a pair of plates of sawteeth or the like, movable and fixed, cooperates to move on films in a treating tank.

Heretofore acceleration of development has been done by blowing gas into the treating solution to stir it up around films, but the method has not only taken much labor and expense but often injured films and produced developing marks thereon.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for removing these drawbacks by automatically giving vertical reciprocation to films in a developing tank.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a vertically reciprocating apparatus of a film hanger, wherein in parallel with a fixed plate of sawteeth or the like for supporting a film hanger and a movable plate of sawteeth or the like for moving it is furnished a reciprocating plate of sawteeth or the like whereby the film hanger can move up and down when the operation of the movable plate of sawteeth or the like sending it along stops, with its supporting plates of sawteeth or the like loosely embraced by guides being connected with each other at the lower ends thereof by a connecting plate having at either end thereof a slit in which is set a pin fixed on a;

wheel.

According to the present invention, films are automatically moved up and down in a developing solution through simple and inexpensive devices, the developing effect is fine and uniform, and besides it takes for less time and labor, as compared with a known type.

Other and the further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and claims taken together with the accompanying drawings in which is shown the preferred embodiment of the vertically reciprocating apparatus of a film in a developing tank according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a developing apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation of a part of the same;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective detail view of hanging part 37.

In these drawings numeral 11 indicates a developing tank. On either side thereof, a hanger rod 12 whereon Patented Sept. 30, 1969 films hang is supported on a fixed plate of sawteeth or the like 13, supported in one of notches, e.g., of equilateral triangle in shape, cut thereon. In parallel with each fixed plate 13 is furnished a movable plate 14 having notches, e.g., of a right-angled triangle in shape, cut at corresponding positions to those on the fixed plate 13. The movable plate 14 is provided with a forked projection 15 at one end, loosely set on an eccentric pin 16 of a crank disk 17. In parallel with each movable plate 14 is furnished a vertically reciprocating plate of sawteeth or the like 18 having notches, e.g., of equilateral triangle in shape, cut thereon at the corresponding positions to those on the movable plate 14, with supporting rods 19 and 20 thereof being connected at the lower ends thereof by a connecting plate 21, and being loosely embraced by guides 22 and 23, respectively. Through the cooperation of a wheel 24 driven by an electric motor (not shown) at a very low speed and a chain 25 engaged with a chain wheel 26 on the same axis with the wheel 24 and chain wheels 27, 28 and 29, rotates a wheel 30 fixed on the same axis with the chain wheel 29. In connecting plate 21 are cut slits 31 and 32 and therein are set pins 33 and 34 formed on the wheels 24 and 30 respectively. A pair of chains 35, bars 36 supported between them and hanging pieces 37 are for carrying the hanger rod 12 from the developing tank to a fixing tank.

When the hanger rod 12 with films hanging thereon is placed on the fixed plate 13, the crank disk 17 is rotated, the forked projection 15 of the movable plate 14 is raised, and the movable plate 14 while raised therewith moves one notch to the right as the crank disk 17 turns on. Thereby the hanger rod 12 which has been supported on the fixed plate 13 is raised by the movable plate 14 and carried to the right, and then, as the crank disk 17 turns on and the movable plate 14 is lowered, the hanger rod 12 leaves the movable plate 14 and sets in the next notch on the fixed plate 13.

At this, the wheel 24 rotates driven by an electric motor (not shown), the cabin 25 engaged with chain wheels 26, 27, 28 and 29 moves, and the wheel 30 fixed on the same axis with the chain wheel 29 also rotates. With this, as the pins 33 and 34 on the wheels 24 and 30 move upward, the connecting plate 21 also ascends due to the pins 33 and 34 riding within the slits 31 and 32 respectively. Thus the plate 18 also reciprocably rises, while the hanging rod 12 is raised by means of its opposite ends supported in a notch on the reciprocating plate 18 at opposite sides of the tank. Then, as the wheels 24 and 30 rotate further, the pins 33 and 34 thereon move downward, whereby the connecting plate 21, the supporting rods 19 and 20, and the reciprocating plate 18 with the hanger rod 12 resting thereon also descend. This vertical reciprocation of the reciprocating plate 18 is repeated several times over to accelerate the chemical treatment of the films and then again through the rotation of the crank disk 17, the movable plate 14 ascends, shifts laterally and descends, and the hanger rod 12 moves one notch forward on the fixed plate 13. The process is repeated until the films subjected to these reciprocal movements and moving com-' pletely from one end of the tank to the other, are given the developing treatment. The films are then sent to a fixing tank by means of the known devices consisting of chains 35, bars 36 and hanging pieces 37, the latter of which are better seen in FIG. 5,'which pieces 37 support the film support rods 12 by the opposite ends.

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A photographic film reciprocating apparatus adapted to be mounted on and to straddle the opposite, generally parallel vertical side walls of a film treatment tank, comprising in combination:

(a) a pairs of fixed plates (13), each having an upwardly disposed serrated or toothed edge and disposed on opposite upper edges of and along said tank, said serrations adapted to support the ends of a film supporting rod extending transversely across said edges and fi'om which rod a film is suspended for treatment longitudinally along and in said tank;

(b) a pair of oscillating plates (14), each having an upwardly disposed saw-toothed edge, and disposed with the base of said sawteeth in generally horizon tal alignment with the base of the serrations on said fixed plate (13); v

() means mounting said oscillatable plates (14) on said tank adjacent said fixed plates (13), including rotary-actuated means (15, 16, 17) to impart at least partial lift to at least one end of said oscillating plates (14) and to impart laterally oscillating movement thereto;

(d) a pair of vertically shiftable lifting plates (18),

each having an upwardly disposed serrated edge similar to and disposed in generally parallel and horizontal alignment with said other plates (13) and (14);

(e) means mounting said plates for vertical rising and lowering movement, outwardly of said tank; and

(f) rotary means operatively connected to said lifting plates for imparting predetermined sequential vertical movement thereto simultaneously and in time sequence with the means for oscillating said oscillatable plates (14), whereby a film supporting rod placed across said plates at one end of said treatment tank is sequentially oscillatably lifted and shifted sequentially from tooth to tooth of said plates during longitudinal movement along said tank.

2. A reciprocating apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting means of paragraph (e)( include:

(a) a vertical guide means adjacent said tank, and

(b) vertically disposed support rods attached to said lifting plates (18) and slidably disposed within said guides.

3. A reciprocating apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting means of paragraph (e) include:

(a) vertical means adjacent said tank,

(b) vertically disposed support rods attached to said lifting plates (18) and slidably disposed within said guides;

(c) a connecting member (21) connecting the ends of said rods, said connecting member (21) having at least one slot therein to receive a lifting pin; and the rotary means of paragraph (f) of claim 1 include ((1) a rotary lifting wheel mounted outwardly of said tank and having an eccentrically disposed lifting pin for projection through said slot in the connecting member (21), and

(e) rotary drive means connected with and for rotating said lifting wheel.

4. A reciprocating apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein (a) each of said connecting members (21) is disposed generally parallel to said lifting plate (18);

(b) said connecting member (21) having a pair of slots, with one disposed near each end adjacent the the connection with said lifting rods (18);

(c) and including a second rotary lifting wheel, each lifting wheel (24, 30) having an eccentric lift pin, said wheels being mounted outwardly of said tank ad'- jacent said slots, whereby said pins project through said respective lift slots, and

(d) rotary drive means for continuously rotatively driving said lifting wheels in timed sequence with an operating cycle of the apparatus.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including means for lifting and transferring a treated film from one tank to another tank for subsequent treatment and similar movement along and in said other tank.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,823,595 2/1958 McFadden et al. -89 3,088,610 5/1963 Pianowski. 3,241,473 3/1966 Hope et al. 95-89 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner CHARLES E. SMITH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

